


Hot Tub Rebels

by Liara_90



Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Anti-Faunus Racism, Canon Compliant, Contest Entry, Dating, F/F, Falling In Love, Family Drama, First Kiss, Hot Tub, Love Confessions, M/M, POV Third Person, Pre-Canon, Swimming Pools, Wordcount: 5.000-10.000
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-23
Updated: 2016-09-23
Packaged: 2018-08-16 19:30:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,853
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8114704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Liara_90/pseuds/Liara_90
Summary: During her first year at Beacon, Coco's father demanded she return home. Good thing the rest of Team CFVY came with her.
Family drama, young love, and just maybe a lesson or two.





	1. Lesson Plan

As long as she kept her shoulders out of the water, Velvet rationalized, she probably wasn’t breaking any rules...

Coco rolled her eyes a little, familiar _with_ but not approving _of_ her girlfriend’s line-toeing tendencies. Even when said line being toed was stupid, unenforceable, and more than a little racist. So she leaned back in the hot tub, arms resting on its cheap plastic lip, rolling her neck so she could glare at the signage keeping her girlfriend from properly enjoying the tub.

TELAMON HOTEL HOT TUB RULES:

· MUST BE 18 YEARS OF AGE

· NO ALCOHOL

· NO TOPLESS BATHING

· NO FUR

Only the fact that they’d spent the past twelve hours on two airships kept Coco from starting a familiar argument. She was just too exhausted for that. So she started an unfamiliar one instead.

“You don’t have to come with me, you know,” began Coco, trying and failing to catch Velvet’s eye. Her teammate’s gaze remained focused on her own two feet, which were being gently buffeted by one of the tub’s jets.

“Seems like that’d be rather a waste of an airship ticket to Atlas,” Velvet answered, still staring down at bubbles beneath her.

“I never said you guys had to come to Atlas, either,” Coco replied, her voice softening a little. “Or even should.”

In actuality, Coco hadn’t even told Velvet that _she_ was going to Atlas. She’d packed her bags the night before, while the rest of her teammates were studying in the library, slipped out of the CFVY dorm before either the sun or her roommates had risen. She should have known better, of course, but it still came as a surprise to find the three of them waiting for her in the departure lounge, Fox and Velvet clutching cups of bad coffee like their lives depended on them. How _exactly_ they’d managed to both discover her secret excursion _and_ beat her to the aerodrome was a mystery Coco still hadn’t entirely solved, and they’d all remained rather infuriatingly tight-lipped about it.

“It’s what a good partner would do, isn’t it?” asked Velvet, managing to raise her chin from her chest. Coco felt something quicken inside her as Velvet peered into her with those bottomless brown eyes of hers. Eyes that reflected the sorrow she felt for Coco’s anguish, but also shone with a resolute determination to _be there_ when it mattered. “And besides, I _want_ to.”

“Velvs, I’m going to a dinner with my father which will - in all likelihood - end with him disowning me.” She managed to keep her tone level as she forecasted her own future, not letting any trace of nervousness slip into her voice. “There’s going to be screaming, swearing, someone’s probably going to break something expensive. It will be brutal. It’s…” she paused, hesitating for a moment as Velvet stared unflinchingly down at her, “it’s… not the kind of thing _anyone_ should be subjected to, if they can avoid it.”

“All the more reason for me to be there,” Velvet answered, her tone silk draped over steel.

Coco sighed, heartened and annoyed at her partner’s stubbornness in equal measure. The _last_ thing she wanted was someone as sweet as her Velvs getting dragged into the _maelstrom_ that was her family’s private drama. Velvet usually deferred to her wishes, particularly when they came to matters of privacy, but she’d been rather uncharacteristically insistent as of late. Or rather, as of the time her father had called and not-so-subtly _demanded_ his daughter spend the winter vacation at the family chalet back in Atlas.

Coco had agreed, if only because her father’s ultimatum deserved a proper response. She’d set off on the trip home with every intention of it being her last. Velvet knew that, of course, and was standing close enough to feel the heat of all the bridges Coco was burning. But that a girl who flinched at so much as raised voices was demanding to be present for what promised to be a shouting match for the ages had puzzled Coco. At first. And then she’d clued in as to why _exactly_ Velvet was so insistent on being there, and that warmed her in a way she could never put to words.

“Alright, _fine_ , you can come, Velvs,” Coco finally said, ignoring the positively _triumphant_ grin on her teammate’s face. She rubbed her temples. “Just do me a favor - say _hell_ to the rules and get in the fucking hot tub.”

Velvet's grin vanished, replaced with a disapproving scowl. “I don’t like causing trouble when I can avoid it,” she muttered, kicking her feet _just_ enough to splash.

Coco snorted. “Velvs, you’re enabling me in what will probably be the most newsworthy act of juvenile delinquency since Winter ‘Legally Disowned by her Father’ Schnee. I’m already in trouble.”

She paused, a smile creeping across her face. “Would it help if I took my top off?” she said with a distressingly _sultry_ purr, drifting across the tub towards Velvet. “Join you in your rebellion?”

The Faunus kicked up another splash of water. “ _Lech_ ,” she shot back.

“I’m not hearing a no…”

* * *

A few dozen feet away, in the hotel’s _actual_ pool, Fox was staring up at the ceiling. Or at least, he was damn well _trying_ to.

His nose sunk beneath the surface of the water and he let out a spluttering cough, swinging forward so that the balls of his feet rested on the pool’s floor again. The water only came up to his torso, which was a _very_ good thing given the total lack of progress he’d made with his swimming lessons.

“Just a head’s up,” came Yatsuhashi’s voice, about an arm’s length away from Fox, “I wouldn’t try to go to the hot tub for the next few minutes.”

“Oh, I _know_ ,” muttered Fox, rubbing the bridge of his nose in an attempt to dissipate the sensation of chlorinated water having flowed _up_ it. “If you haven’t noticed, Coco has this high-pitched giggle that she only does when she’s…” He let the sentence trail off.

Yatsuhashi returned his attention to the aspiring swimmer. “Do you want to try floating again?” he asked, the water rippling slightly as he took a step towards Fox. “No cheating with your Aura this time, either.”

Fox let out a sigh. “Fine,” he conceded. But not without a moment of snark: “Because if I ever actually _do_ need to swim, it _definitely_ won’t be a situation where I’ll be using my Aura.”

“It’s important to learn how to swim naturally,” answered Yatsuhashi, with that infinite patience of his. “At the very least, it can’t hurt.”

Fox couldn’t swim. That was the end of the story. Growing up almost-completely blind ensured that the slightest athletic activity had terrified his adult guardians. He’d never been in anything deeper than a bath, let alone open water. He’d managed to keep the secret from Coco for the entire year that he’d known her, which had been easy enough since Hyades Academy lacked a pool. But shortly after the two had arrived at Beacon Coco had _insisted_ on dragging him to the cavernous Academy pool, and he’d only been able to come up with delays and excuses for so long before the jig was up.

His lie of omission had won him no favors from his newly-appointed Team Leader, and she’d been her usual, unyielding self in insisting he learn, excuses be damned. He’d _endured_ Coco’s few informal swim lessons more than anything else, even if Velvet was a pretty good teacher when Coco wasn’t distractingher. Hadn’t made any progress, he was quick to note, but Fox had a lifetime of inexperience and bad instincts to overcome first.

And then, Yatsu had taken over…

“This… might be easier… if you took your clothes off,” said Yatsuhashi, with an awkwardness that made it clear that he was aware of his phrasing.

Rather than take the high road and interpret the words as they’d been _intended_ , Fox grabbed the opportunity for teasing. “My, my, Yatsu, you haven’t even bought me dinner yet,” he said with a smirk, one palm finding a home on his partner’s broad chest.

Yatsuhashi frowned. “You know, I actually _have_ ,” he answered, making no move to break the contact. “On multiple occasions. Just last week at that wok place downtown.” Yatsuhashi paused. “It’s almost midnight, Fox, just us in the pool and the girls in the tub. I’ll let you know if anyone enters.”

Fox hesitated for a long moment, then shrugged with as much nonchalance as he could muster, conceding both points. “Fine.” After just a fleeting pause he slipped out of the water-logged shirt he’d been hiding under, and awkwardly hopped out of his shorts a moment later. Yatsuhashi collected them and placed them on the tiled deck, lest they drift away.

Fox folded his arms across his chest, his eyelids drifting shut. If Yatsuhashi was at all disquieted by the scars lacing Fox’s torso he’d never given the faintest clue. Coco had let slip a memorable curse when she’d walked in on him changing for the first time, even though she insisted that the scars were _very fetching, in a rugged kind of way_. Velvet’s soft gasp had been loud as a gunshot in his ears.

“Coco _said_ to bring swimwear,” Yatsuhashi gently chided, as Fox adjusted his underwear. Charitably pretending it was a simple lapse of memory on Fox’s part.

“Yeah, and she also said I should learn to swim. And get laid more,” he muttered back. “How’s that working out?”

Even blind, he knew Yatsuhashi was shaking his head. “Alright, I’m in position. Lean back in _three_ … _two_... _one_ …”

Fox slid backwards in the water, desperately trying to keep his hips near the surface. Neither Coco nor Velvet had made much progress in overcoming his instinct to contract his muscles and tense up, as he usually did in response to a bodily shock, and Fox had rapidly become annoyed with his own unthinking responses.

Yatsuhashi’s arm drifted beneath him, one large hand splaying wide beneath his lower back. The swordsman’s palm rested there, just above Fox’s waist, where the scars stood out like a dozen jagged seams.

Fox had never told Yatsu how much he liked that his partner didn’t flinch when touching them.

“Deep breaths,” coached Yatsuhashi, helping Fox arch his back slightly. “Air makes you buoyant.”

Fox bit back a quick-witted retort about those filled with hot air, for once choosing instead to simply focus on breathing. _Inhale_. _Exhale_. To focus on the sensation of Yatsu’s hand beneath him, even after that hand had drifted away, and Fox was left floating on his own...

“That was much better,” coached Yatsuhashi, after Fox finally returned to his feet. “You need to kick just a little more, but you’ll have that down soon.”

Fox reached out with his arms, trying to remember where the edge of the deck was, but one hand caught on Yatsuhashi’s arm. “Yeah,” he agreed, tilting his head upwards. “I think we’re getting closer.”

A giggled shriek from the hot tub caught Yatsuhashi’s attention, and Fox let go a second later, proceeding to haul himself inelegantly out of the pool.

Thanks to the interruption, Yatsuhashi never had the opportunity to ponder his partner’s choice of words.


	2. Practicum

Velvet had been terrified when their preparations for the night began. She’d had a full day for her nerves to get the better of her, for worst-case scenarios of the looming confrontation to fester and multiply. An hour ago, she’d had to dig her nails into her palm to avoid flinching when Coco went over the game plan, lest she appear eager to back out.

To her own surprise, she was now dying to get on with it.

She’d been standing, then sitting, then lying on the bed for the better part of an hour, exhausting her considerable reserves of patience while Coco returned to her wardrobe for the umpteenth time. How Coco had managed to pack so many garments into a few pieces of luggage remained something of a mystery to Velvet, and Fox had insinuated that this was Coco traveling ‘light’.

Normally Velvet would’ve tried to rope in Fox and Yatsu to help with getting Coco out the door, but their leader had already sent them on their way, each with a lift pass to the nearby mountain. Velvet had almost given Fox a very stupid warning about the dangers of skiing at night. Almost.

Her reputation as a fashionista notwithstanding, Coco usually spent surprisingly little time choosing her own outfits. If only because she was one of those lucky few who could take almost any assortment of articles and make them work. Fretting over which pair of pants complimented which top was actually oddly out-of-character for the leader, and Velvet had noticed.

A knee-length skirt landed atop Velvet’s face. Coco had tried it on thrice already. With a groan that morphed into a growl, Velvet tossed it aside, sitting upright and trying to rub the boredom-induced drowsiness from her face.

“Coco,” she said, doing her best to capture her leader’s attention without raising her voice. “I know your appearance is important to you, but if we’re not out the door in the next ten minutes I am seriously considering just torching it all.” She gestured wordlessly to the heap of discarded clothes that had grown only larger over time. “And you can have your dramatic showdown in your underwear for all I care.”

Coco raised a hand, mouth parted as if to protest, but she closed it without speaking. She then nodded. “Right. You’re right, I mean. I’m overthinking this.” She scratched her forehead. “Did I mention how nice you look, Velvs?”

“Only about a dozen times,” answered Velvet, though the compliments made her heart skip a beat on each and every occasion. The dress she wore had been one of Coco’s many gifts to her: a dark, chocolate-colored maxi that could pass for black in dim lighting. She wasn’t particularly fond of the color, nor the slit that ran up her thigh, but Coco insisted that it was made for her. On this night alone, she wouldn’t put up any argument. “But thank you.”

“Yeah, well, don’t mention it,” muttered Coco, more to herself than Velvet. She ended up settling on something quite close to her usual outfit: a light brown shirt that went up to her throat and tight black pants atop stiletto boots. Coco held her sunglasses in her hands for a long minute, Velvet offering no advice either way, before she slipped them into her purse, leaving her eyes unveiled.

A black SUV was waiting for them as they stepped out of the hotel lobby, the suited chauffeur holding the door open for the two of them, professional enough to keep his expression completely neutral even at the sight of leporine ears. The door slammed shut, and they sped off a moment later.

It was a long drive. Rather than meet her in the Atlesian capital of Titan, Brennen Adel had opted for Atlas’ fabled ski country, on the other side of the continent. The intentional inelegance of their flight schedules meant that Coco arrived too late in the night to make the three hour drive to her family’s mountainside villa - or at least, that was her excuse. Coco’s stalling had bought CFVY a day to themselves, but her father had responded by making dinner reservations which Coco had no excuse to turn down, at a restaurant halfway between his villa and her hotel, outside one of Atlas’ more exclusive ski resorts. Reservations for two, though that had been wilfully ignored.

“...How much is your family actually worth?” asked Velvet, breaking the silence that had descended over the SUV. She shuffled gingerly on the seat next to Coco, as if worried about scuffing the leather.

Her girlfriend shrugged. “It’s… kind of hard to say,” she replied, with unusual hesitancy in her voice. “So much of it is tied up in things like land holdings, investments, all sorts of illiquid assets. And what’s really valuable are the things that are hard to quantify, all the political connections and patronage networks.” She glanced at Velvet, who was unimpressed by her quibbling.

“Ballpark it for me.”

“Ballpark?” Coco stared out the window. The highway was almost empty at this hour, and with only headlights for illumination the forest beyond was black as tar. “Two billion lien.”

Velvet made a sound like she’d choked on her tongue. “You’re giving up a two billion lien inheritance?”

Coco grinned a little at that. She’d lived her whole life surrounded by numbers with too many zeroes behind them; she’d simply been numbed to magnitude over the years. “What can I say, Velvs,” Coco murmured, leaning into her girlfriend’s ear, “you’re a pricey piece of tail.”

Coco regretted it almost immediately, sliding back to her side of the car with less than her usual grace. Even disregarding her questionable choice of words, she had no desire to make Velvet feel like she was costing her anything. Velvet knew what she’d meant, of course, but the Faunus couldn’t find the words to convey her lack of offense, not before the atmosphere became wholly awkward.

They passed the rest of the ride in silence.

For a world-renowned restaurant (with a mononym of appropriate pretentiousness) Othrys certainly didn’t look like much, at least from the outside. To Velvet, it looked more like a grandiose version of a fairytale mountain lodge, albeit one with all the creature comforts of a modern ski chalet.

A valet opened the door and Coco exited first, offering a hand to help Velvet out. Coco did it mostly for her own amusement, Velvet knew, a tongue-and-cheek mockery of ‘polite society’, but given the heels she was wearing Velvet really could use the assist.

They made their way into the restaurant without incident. Velvet knew at a glance that she was the only Faunus in the building, but with the Adel name on the reservation, the staff would keep their distaste private.

The maître d’ led them to their seats, and Velvet calmed herself with steadying breaths, letting her mind focus on the details of her surroundings rather than her own nervousness, an old Huntsman’s trick. The wooden furnishings were ornately carved from exotic timber, the silverware practically shimmered in the candlelight. Every dish she passed would’ve no doubt smelled heavenly to Velvet’s nose, had her appetite not abandoned her hours ago. The staff, at least, were professional enough, keeping their own opinions to themselves. The same couldn’t quite be said for the patrons, as sideways glances and muttered comments seemed to follow Velvet through the restaurant like an unwanted stalker.

They reached the table a moment later. The maître d’ tactfully excused himself with a bow, leaving Coco and Velvet alone with one Brennen Adel.

Velvet blinked. She’d been expecting him to look… scarier.

It would have been easier if he’d been a moustache-twirling villain from the cartoons, had he somehow telegraphed his maliciousness through his appearance. But Brennen Adel sat in clothing so nondescript that Velvet likely wouldn’t have given him a second glance on the street: a cashmere sweater over a collared shirt, beige slacks and comfortable loafers. Only the immaculateness of his graying hairs seemed out-of-place, too neatly trimmed and groomed. For some reason Velvet had been expecting another Herr Schnee, always dressed in those exquisitely-tailored white suits of his, but this was somehow so much more off-putting. And it didn’t take a bottomless imagination to see that he must have been quite handsome in his youth.

He rose to greet them. Or greet Coco, at least.

“I’ve missed you, my little cocoa bean,” he said, drawing Coco into a tight embrace. Velvet didn’t overlook the way Coco tensed up as his arms were wrapped around her, holding her tight against him until she gently pushed back. He slipped back into his seat behind the table a moment later, gesturing for Coco to do the same.

The absence of a third chair did not go unnoticed.

Velvet stole a sideways glance at Coco, waiting for her to make the first move. The way she always did. Coco always enjoyed putting her Faunus teammate front-and-center when she knew it would discomfit others, when she’d force the closet racists to acknowledge Velvet with the respect afforded to her by the dictates of polite society, or else start a fight. But while Coco’s lips were parted the words just weren’t passing through them. Fighting family was so much harder.

After a moment’s deliberation, Velvet did what she knew her girlfriend would’ve wanted her to. She sucked in a short, sharp breath, then extended her arm across the table.

“Velvet Scarlatina, sir,” she said, forcing her voice not to waver by will and will alone. “I’m your daughter’s partner.”

In every meaning of the word.

Her hand hung in the air for just a moment too long, Brennen Adel weighing his options just a little too deliberately. Then, without rising from his seat, he met Velvet’s hand with his, shaking it with a curt pump. “Miss Scarlatina,” he replied, keeping his tone markedly neutral as they separated. He was discreet, but not so discreet that Velvet missed the way he unthinkingly wiped his hand on a white linen napkin. “You’ll forgive me, I intended for this to be a family dinner. Some other time, perhaps.”

“Velvet can stay…”

Velvet glanced back at her leader, the muted tone of Coco’s voice rendering it almost unrecognizable. She had few doubts as to why. Bullies and monsters were easy to fight. But someone who still, in his own way, no doubt loved her?

“Coco, dear, we only have the reservation for two,” replied Brennen, speaking like he was trying to soothe a distressed child.

Coco shook her head, and when she spoke it was with renewed vigor in her voice. “Then tell them to change it,” she retorted, taking a small step back from the table. Her arms folded across her chest, a posture of defiance. “We’ll wait.”

As she knew would happen, a few sideways glances were already being cast in their direction, by men and women Brennen Adel had no desire to be embarrassed before. So he flagged down a waiter and muttered something apologetic in the man’s ear, though not before he’d shot a disapproving scowl in his daughter’s direction.

Velvet felt like she was under a spotlight as the waitstaff rearranged the table to seat three (in close proximity), fidgeting with the ruching on her dress as they stood about in silence. The two Adels kept their expressions icily blank until the whole party was properly seated, Velvet unfolding the napkin across her lap with preternatural focus.

“Can I get you anything to drink, Miss Adel?” asked one of the waitresses, proffering a wine list in a black leather cover.

Coco waved her off. “I’ll have a glass of the Chateau Sanssouci,” she answered. Velvet, Brennen and the waitress all blinked, recognizing a vintage that was almost certainly the priciest drink in the cellar. “One for Miss Scarlatina here, too.”

Coco leaned back in her seat, as if daring her father to veto her. The waitress hesitated for a moment before wordlessly withdrawing, no doubt cursing her misfortune for having been dragged into a family squabble.

“So, Father, why did you summon me?” Coco began, wielding the familial connection like a formal title.

He made a show of wincing at her choice of words. “It’s the winter break, Coco. Is it so unreasonable for a father to wish to see his daughter?”

Coco was evidently unconvinced, but she bit back a more caustic retort as the waitress returned with their bottle.

“I said you can visit me at Beacon any time,” Coco stated, waving dismissively at the bottle being presented for her inspection. “Why haven’t you?”

Her father sat wordless for several seconds, waiting for the waitress to finish the elaborate uncorking process, and then pour two glasses with the utmost delicacy. Coco took an uncaring swig without so much as sniffing the wine’s bouquet. “Scared to visit a real Huntsmen Academy?”

Brennen leaned back in his chair, his expression darkening, but he waited for the waitress to withdraw out of earshot. Velvet took the opportunity to take a delicate sip from her glass, trying not to wonder how much each drop of mediocre grape juice cost.

“I want to see you here,” he finally answered, softly but firmly.

Coco took another sip. “Well, that’s the real problem, isn’t it?” she stated, her voice taking on an almost condescending lilt. “You see, I’m becoming rather fond of Beacon. It’s…” her hand slid across the table, finding Velvet’s fingers curled around a glass’ stem. “...very special to me.”

Brennen took in the physical contact with an unimpressed scowl. “I’m not interested in having this discussion again, young lady,” he said, the patronizing words drawing a muted snarl from his daughter. “It’s time for you to transfer. I’ve spoken with Headmaster Ironwood personally, and he’s assured me that there will be a place available for you at Atlas Academy. Quite possibly a leadership position, too.”

Velvet let out a soft gasp of surprise. Her fingers tightened around her girlfriend’s hands, but Coco’s expression was granite. It was a conversation they’d had before, she quickly deduced.

She wasn’t able to keep the surprise entirely from her face, however, and Brennen evidently noticed. “I take it Coco didn’t tell you, did she?” He smiled at that, and for all the gentleness of his voice it was an ugly expression. “I suppose it wasn't convenient for her.”

“I didn’t tell Velvs because there is nothing to discuss,” Coco retorted, raw anger slipping past her icy facade. “I’m staying at Beacon.”

“This is no longer open for debate, dear.” He leaned forward, hands clasped tightly together on the table. “It’s time to come home. Now or never.”

Coco’s hand darted out of Velvet’s, then to her wine glass, then her lap, then back to Velvet’s. The nervousness rubbed off on her girlfriend. Velvet had little experience dealing with Coco when she was stressed, if only because the team leader usually kept her emotions on a tight leash. She felt useless.

“Mom agreed with me,” Coco said, finally clasping her hands together in a mirror of her father’s pose. “She wanted me to graduate from Beacon.”

Velvet felt the whole room darken.

“You mother isn’t with us any more, my cocoa bean,” said Brennen, and this time there was no warmth or comfort in his voice. “It’s about time you accepted that.”

Velvet was looking at Coco when he spoke, so she saw the way her leader reacted. Saw the way her eyes widened in shock, her mouth opened in surprise. And she saw the pain, the raw, emotional suffering, and Velvet’s heart broke.

They’d been ‘Team CFVY’ for less than a fortnight when the news came over Coco’s Scroll, waking them all in the quiet hours before sunrise. The walls Coco ringed her heart with hadn’t yet cracked or crumbled, and she’d let nary a glimmer of sorrow cross her face. She had refused her teammates’ questions and comfort, simply vanishing from Beacon for a week. Only an obituary downloaded from the CCT had offered the rest of CFVY any clues, and Velvet had seen no reason to bring it up since then.

She quickly came to realize that that had been a mistake. “W-what?” Coco crossed her arms in front of herself, her expression equal parts wounded and disbelieving. “What does she have to do with any of this?”

“Your mother is the reason you were allowed to attend Beacon to begin with,” her father answered. His voice was cold, but Velvet could see the aggression in his eyes, the glint of a fighter who knew he’d landed a damaging blow and was determined to press his advantage. “And that was only because neither of us realized just how unconventional an Academy it is. A lack of due diligence on my part, I admit. But while she may have been willing to let you waste another three years on that mistake, I am not.” He paused, taking in his daughter’s unsteadiness. “And you can’t hide behind her skirts any longer.”

Velvet held her breath, waiting for Coco to offer a dry retort (as she usually did) or perhaps erupt with volcanic fury (as she infrequently, but very memorably, did). But when she stole another sideways glance, looking for that furrowed brow or icy glare, she didn’t find them. Instead she saw an open wound, Coco’s face awash with surprise and betrayal.

It didn’t take a psychologist to understand what was happening to Coco at that moment, and Velvet could read people better than most shrinks anyways. Coco hadn’t come to terms with her loss yet, not in any meaningful way, and whatever scabs had been forming had just been ripped off with abject cruelty. Holding her own against her father would have been emotionally taxing enough, but being confronted with the full cost and consequences of her mother’s death at the same time…

...It was too much to ask any person to bear. And Velvet knew it.

“Sir…” Velvet spoke softly, intruding into the family dialogue . “...Coco seems very happy at Beacon. And she’s easily the best team leader of our year.”

Brennen turned his attention to Velvet, and there was no missing the fact that he was sizing her up. “Miss Scarlatina, to put it bluntly, I don’t give a fucking shit.”

Velvet recoiled a little, the sudden vulgarities catching her by surprise, even with the rising temperatures. “Sir, I -”

“Quite frankly, Miss Scarlatina, I don’t believe this is any of your business. Except that you’ll no longer have my daughter to leech off of.” Velvet exhaled forcefully through her nose, fingernails digging into the palm of her hand. “Don’t fret, I’m sure someone as pretty as you will have no problems finding another mark.”

The insults hurled at Velvet on a near-daily basis gave her some modicum of protection against his words, but it wasn’t enough, not to keep them from nicking her. Not when the man speaking them was the father of her love. A man whose approval she had once dreamed of winning.

“Don’t say that about Velvet,” said Coco, still struggling to compose herself. “She’s my partner.”

Her father snorted. “Coco, my dear, I love you with all my heart, but you have always been infuriatingly naïve about how the world works.” Coco moved to speak, but he barreled onwards. “Miss Scarlatina here has lived a very impoverished life and is no doubt enjoying being pampered. She has a good thing going, and she knows it.”

“I am not -” / “Velvs isn’t -”

He held up a hand. “You’ve already spent thousands of lien on your latest doll, dear. Including that very pretty dress of hers. And she knows that’s only a fraction of what she stands to gain.” He paused, staring down at his daughter. “And before you ask, yes, I’m copied on your credit statements.”

He refocused his attention on Velvet. “I can honestly say that I don’t blame you in the slightest for any this, Miss Scarlatina. I actually quite respect your sense of self-interest.” For whatever reason, Velvet wasn’t warmed by the compliment. “But she’s going to hurt you just as badly as she’s hurting her family.”

Coco flinched as if she’d been struck. “Don’t say that to Velvet.”

So of course he did. “My daughter is a wonderful person, Miss Scarlatina, but her affections are… fickle. She had more lovers before she left for Beacon than I’ve had in my entire life.”

“I don’t care,” answered Velvet, repeating a line she’s told herself a hundred times before. Coco was tight-lipped about her romantic history but Velvet had intuited that it was storied. Which was somewhat intimidating to a young woman with none of her own.

“As I said, it’s not your behavior I’m worried about,” Brennen replied. “You’ve caught her eye for now but she always grows bored. I suppose dating a Faunus is the fashionably risqué thing for a young rebel to do, but really, what makes you think you’re anything special?”

His words were so obviously a trap, his intentions so transparent, but Velvet couldn’t keep herself from risking a glance at her girlfriend beside her. Trying to meet eyes that were averted downwards, blurred by teary orbs.

Velvet forced herself not to crack. “Then we’ll get to that on our own damn time.” A note of anger slipped into her voice, tempering it with righteous fury.

“No, Miss Scarlatina, you won’t,” Brennen promised. “Coco is coming home tonight.”

“I’m not,” growled Coco. “I belong at Beacon.”

“You belong with your family,” her father fired back, the volume of his voice increasing. “Not playing some fanciful soldier game. Your mother and I had hoped sending you to a Huntsmen academy would at least correct some of your more self-destructive habits, if nothing else.” His eyes darted over to Velvet, whose face was equal parts sorrow and rage. “When I agreed, you knew that I was deferring to your mother’s will. But perhaps we’re lucky. She doesn’t have to see what her lapse in judgement wrought. She’d be horrified.”

Coco’s face was agony. “Stop saying that!” she shouted, piercing what remained of the restaurant’s decorum. “You can’t speak for her! She wasn’t -”

Brennen’s hand slammed the table, droplets of wine sloshing over the rims of their glasses. “Be quiet,” he hissed. “I knew your mother far longer than you did, Coco. She may have had a libertine streak, but do you think she would have approved of this?!” A finger stuck out accusingly at Velvet. “Out of curiosity, do you even care about her in the slightest, or did she just seem like the most effective way to spite everyone in our family?” Velvet’s stomach clenched. Even if she knew in heart that his words were lies, they still hurt as much as any blow.

Coco shook her head. “You’re wrong,” she declared, though her throat sounded raw and tight. “I… I love Velvet.”

Velvet’s mouth dropped open. She’d been waiting so long to hear those words. But not like this, not a confession extracted under duress. Shortly after they’d started dating, Fox had warned her that Coco was not by inclination generous with her romantic affections. That Velvet shouldn’t sweat it if Coco took her sweet damn time getting around to confessing her actual feelings. So Velvet had contented herself with touches and kisses, disassembling the walls Coco had surrounded her heart with one brick at a time.

She had longed to get past that wall, to the time when Coco didn’t feel the slightest need to conceal her thoughts or feelings. But not here, not now, not because those walls had been demolished in a pique of wanton destruction.

“Come on, Coco, please stop this charade,” her father said with a sigh. He sounded more exhausted than anything else. “No one will begrudge you the occasional feminine mistress. Even with an ani-... with a Faunus. Gods know the royal courts were chock full of deviants. But this isn’t the kind of proper relationship that continues a family legacy. And you have to stop living in these romanticist fantasies of yours. If you want to play Huntress for a few years before finding a respectable job, fine, but you can do it in Atlas.”

He paused, casting one more disparaging glance at Velvet. “But stop pretending that this tryst of yours is a fairytale romance. And don’t insult us all by calling it love.”

His words were like a knife in an alley, catching Velvet completely off-guard as they sunk into her heart. Even as the conversation had degenerated into an emotional siege, the sheer insult of his words still wounded her.

Velvet had bent very far, trying so hard not to break, but his words were the tipping point, the point that she just couldn’t take anymore. She could handle being called a fraudster or a parasite - most Faunus had no choice but to live with that. Brennen’s insinuation that Coco was uncaring was cruel, and hurt, but he didn’t know the Coco Adel who lead CFVY. The one for whom the mantle of leadership had only magnified her finest qualities. The one who cared for and guided and damn well bled for her teammates.

Velvet moved before she could think or Coco speak. For a moment she felt utterly detached from herself. His words had shocked her like no blow ever had, concussed her with the easy dismissal of their relationship. How effortlessly he’d diminished her to nothing, insinuated the ground she’d built the foundation of a new life upon was nothing but quicksand.

She wasn’t really the type to throw caution to the wind, but then, she wasn’t exactly thinking rationally. Because in that moment she needed proof, for herself and for the world. With a resolve usually reserved for facing Creatures of Grimm, Velvet cupped Coco’s jaw in her hand. For once it was her expression that was unwavering and unyielding, taking in the stress and sorrow on her leader’s face with unbowed determination. Coco stared back, dark brown eyes still brimming with tears.

Velvet adjusted her hands slightly, so her fingers neatly cradled Coco’s head. Then drew their lips together.

For once Velvet didn’t hesitate or ask permission, she just did what she felt was right, kissing the woman she had so unexpectedly given her heart to. She just kissed, her world collapsing until they were alone in it...

“Tell me a secret,” murmured Coco, her voice barely audible even in the silence before sunrise. “Something about you nobody else knows.”

“And why should I do that?” whispered Velvet in reply, her eyes still blissfully shut. It was a familiar exchange, a question-and-answer game they must have played a thousand times.

Rather than wait for a proper answer, she rolled over in bed, nuzzling close so her leporine ears draped over her lover. “I can think of one, but you might not like it.”

“I like everything about you,” Coco answered, one hand making its way to the longer pair of Velvet’s ears, brushing them with otherworldly delicacy.

“Liar,” shot back Velvet, her eyes still shut but a small grin upon her face. They lay in silence for several seconds. “You remember our first night together as a team? As CFVY?”

“Well enough,” Coco answered, though time had already dulled her memories. Life before CFVY was fast growing fuzzy. “Why?”

“That night, I… I tried to apply for a transfer,” said Velvet, her voice barely more than a rumble in her throat. “To another team.”

Coco’s hand stopped stroking her ears, but only for a moment.

“Why?”

Velvet shook her head, further nuzzling against Coco. “I don’t know,” she replied, but that was clearly an excuse she herself didn’t believe. Coco continued tracing lines along her ears. “I… I was hoping to be on a team with another Faunus. There’re enough of us here in Beacon that I’d thought it was a real possibility.”

She kissed Coco’s cheek, a soft peck that seemed to echo in the night.

“Obviously, I’m glad Professor Oobleck talked me out of it.” Another kiss. “Sorry I doubted you.”

Velvet felt Coco’s snort lift a few of her hairs from her head. “Don’t be.” Coco squeezed Velvet close, eliciting a pleasurable groan. “But thanks for telling me, anyways.”

Her girlfriend already seemed to be halfway unconscious again, and her reply dissolved into inarticulate murmurings.

Coco waited until Velvet’s breaths slowed to the rhythm of deep sleep.

“I love you, too.”

Velvet couldn’t drown them out, even as she squeezed her eyes shut and pressed her lips against Coco’s, kissing with a passion blind and fiery. She heard everything - the uneasy mutterings and the disgusted grunts, the shouts and whistles and catcalls of the other diners. She ignored them as best she could, deadening herself to the world, concentrating solely on the feel of Coco’s lips against hers.

Coco’s kissing back…

There was no artistry in the kiss - such raw emotions left no room for finesse - nor was their separation any more graceful. It was loud and sloppy, and Velvet’s whole face felt wet, but when she faced Brennen Adel, she felt afire with righteous passion.

“Tell me this isn’t love!” Velvet cried, tears forming in her eyes. Her whole body was quivering, adrenaline pumping through her veins, every muscle and nerve primed for a fight. Her mind was nothing less than a tornado of emotions, of fear and sorrow and rage and love. Her voice, normally so soft and quiet, sounded sharp and raw. “Come on, say it!”

Velvet stood alone, not even Coco’s hand on hers. Her chest rose and fell with every shuddering breath, her face contorted as if his words had been a blade he’d slashed her with. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks, her hands balled into fists.

“Goodbye, father.”

Coco’s voice was impossibly subdued, a whisper in a gale.

She placed a hand on the small of Velvet’s back, and Velvet almost collapsed at her touch, legs turned to rubber. In an instant the fight was gone, the moment passed. Coco grabbed her purse, slinging it effortlessly over one shoulder.

They stared at each other for a wordless minute, a long table draped in white between them. 

“What did we do wrong?” her father asked, his voice heavy with defeat.

His daughter shook her head, gently. “Nothing at all,” she said, with a small, honest smile that Velvet had never seen before. “I’m just sorry it had to end this way.”

With one fluid motion she slipped her sunglasses over her face, eyes vanishing behind mirrored lenses.

* * *

The nice thing about throwing up in the snow, Velvet soon discovered, was that it didn’t splash much.

Coco raised a skeptical eyebrow as her girlfriend doubled-over beside a freshly-plowed snowbank, Velvet's arms wrapped around her stomach. The restaurant staff were no doubt shooting them murderous looks over Velvet’s… theatrical… response to extreme stress, but Coco wasn’t really in the mood to give a damn.

“You okay there, Velvs?” she asked, sliding up as close as she dared. “I didn’t think I was that bad a kisser.”

“Arsehole,” muttered Velvet, keeping her gaze transfixed on the snow beneath her. Her whole body tensed up again, halfway to retching, but nothing happened for several seconds. She let out a pained groan, slowly straightening up. “Oh maidens, I just cost you two billion lien…”

Coco let out an amused snort, patting her girlfriend on the back. Despite the freezing temperatures neither of them seemed to feel the cold. “I promise you didn’t cost me anything I wasn’t willing to throw away.”

“Thanks,” said Velvet, wiping her mouth with the back of her wrist. She looked Coco in the eye. “But I didn’t mean to force your hand like that.”

“Nobody forces me to do anything, Velvs,” Coco answered with conviction. She took Velvet’s head in her hands, tilting it slightly forward. “Only took father eighteen years to learn that particular lesson...” Coco planted a firm kiss on Velvet’s brow, watching her girlfriend’s ears quiver in excitement, the way they always did.

“I love you, too,” replied Velvet, saying the words that Coco had left unspoken.

“Come on,” said Coco, taking Velvet by the hand and leading her back towards a row of idling taxis. “There’s exactly one bar in this town worthy of the name. Let’s go do something we’ll really regret.”


	3. Review Session

“And _then_ Velvet threw up for the _second_ time,” exclaimed Coco, giving her girlfriend a playful slap on the arm, splashing the water of the hot tub in the process.

Velvet let out a groan. “I’m never going to live tonight down, am I?” she grumbled, before sinking into the tub so just her nose was above the surface.

“Probably not,” Coco conceded, a silly grin still on her face. “But then again, why would you want to?”

“So you really are broke?” asked Fox, snorting a little in disbelief.

“Guess so,” said Coco, with a nonchalant shrug. “I mean, I’ve still got a few savings accounts I’m pretty sure he can’t touch, so I’m not exactly going to starve.”

“Just cut back on the caviar breakfasts. Got it,” replied Fox. Coco rolled her eyes, but her smile at his words was pure and true.

Velvet took advantage of the lull in conversation, drifting over to Coco’s quarter of the hot tub. Coco looked at her expectantly, but an exhilarated smile was still plastered to her face. “What’s up, buns?”

Velvet sucked in her lower lip. “I just wanted to apologize,” she said, reddening somewhat but managing to keep her gaze level. “For kissing you back there. That was… _selfish_.”

Coco let out an exasperated groan that seemed to echo through the pool. “Didn’t we just have this conversation like four ago?” she lamented. Coco raised her head. “Velvs, _please_ , I’ve never needed a kiss so badly in my life. Your instincts are better than you think.”

With a final roll of her eyes Coco cupped Velvet’s chin and _kissed_ her partner, smiling through pursed lips as Velvet _squeed_ a little at the gesture. She wrapped her body around Velvet’s a moment later, eyes blissfully shut as she communicated with her girlfriend through the patter of lips alone…

_< Cough>_

Arms still wrapped around Velvet’s neck, Coco glanced over her shoulder, staring into Fox’s milky-white eyes. “Hey, guys, mind giving us the tub?” she asked. “Unless you want a show.”

She hadn't really been expecting a counter-offer. “Well, if you’re offering,” teased Fox, eliciting scowls from all three of his teammates. “Look, I just spent four hours freezing my ass off on this godforsaken mountain because _someone_ didn’t realize the gondola closed at eleven.” He sunk deeper into the tub, daring her to fight. “I am _perfectly_ comfortable here.”

Coco growled. “Fine.” She turned to her teammate. “I wanted to hit the pool anyways. Come on, Velvs.”

“But it’s warm _here_ and cold _there_ ,” Velvet pouted, even as Coco slipped out of the tub in one fluid motion.

“The pool is actually 305 kelvin,” noted Yatsuhashi, offering his Faunus teammate no support. “Which is practically tropical.”

“Yes it might be comfortable _generally_ , but it’s freezing in _relative_ terms,” Velvet shot back, annoyed that the man who reliably took her side in arguments was abandoning her.

“Just think of it as a metaphor for my current financial situation,” muttered Coco, grabbing Velvet by the wrist. “Come on, I heard the shock is good for your heart.”

And so Yatsuhashi and Fox were left alone in the hot tub, the latter smiling contentedly at a rare victory over his leader.

“Again, I’m sorry about the gondola mishap,” apologized Yatsuhashi, though before he had even finished his sentence, Fox was already dismissing him with a wave.

“Don’t be,” he replied, easily. “Now we have an excuse to have this tub to ourselves.” He drifted lazily about, trying to figure out just how far from each nozzle he could feel the pressure of the jets. “It’s no _onsen_ , I know, but you know the saying about beggars and choosers…”

They sat in comfortable silence for several minutes. Fox vaguely recalled hearing something about how you weren’t supposed to jump into warm water right after returning from freezing temperatures, but at the moment he didn’t really care.

“And to think that _we_ didn’t even have the most excitement tonight,” Fox finally said, gesturing with his head in the general direction of the pool, where Coco and Velvet were _splashing_ rather loudly.

Yatsuhashi let out a contemplative _hmm_. “Coco seems to be taking it well,” he observed. “Considering she was cut off from her family and fortune on the same night.”

Fox shrugged. “She _seems_ to be taking it well because she _is_.” He sensed his partner’s quizzical expression. “This might have been the straw that broke the camel’s back, but Coco’s been loading up the damn thing up for some time. At _least_ as long as I’ve known her. Honestly a bit surprised it took this long.” It was a bit hard to hear over the jets, but the laughter of the two women on his team was unmistakable. “Maybe she just needed someone beside her when she finally pulled the trigger.”

Another contemplative _hum_. “I feel like there’s a takeaway lesson from all this,” mused Yatsuhashi.

Fox slapped his hand against his face.

“Not _again_ , Yatsu,” he groaned. “Not every experience can be packaged into a neat little life lesson like some kid’s book.” Or, in Fox’s case, a never-ending torrent of ‘inspirational’ audio tapes he’d been subjected to throughout his childhood.

“Don’t bury your feelings, lest they be unearthed at the wrong moment?” pondered Yatsuhashi aloud. Fox banged his head against the plastic frame of the tub. “True friends will rise to the occasion?”

“Okay, fine, if we’re going down this road, do you want my takeaway from all this?”

“I always value your opinion, Fox,” replied Yatsuhashi, with that sword of sincerity that always had a way of slipping under Fox’s shield of cynicism.

Fox shook his head. “Right. I mean - is anyone watching?”

Yatsuhashi didn’t bother asking why. He simply twisted his head, peering over his shoulder. Coco and Velvet were still preoccupied with one another, at the far end of the pool. “No.” He turned his head back -

\- and Fox was on him, pressing lips against lips.

It wasn’t a long kiss, or even a particularly good one, but Yatsuhashi’s heart pounded against his chest all the same. Shock and surprise robbed him of an intelligent response, at least until Fox broke the seal with a wet _smack_.

“...Why?”

Fox exhaled loudly through his nose, even as he kept his arms wrapped around Yatsuhashi’s neck.

“Don’t give me that,” he replied, pulling himself closer. “You’re cool and supportive, and you get my jaded-misanthrope _schtick_ and you’re just reassuringly _there_.” One hand drifted down, struggling to cup Yatsuhashi’s broad shoulder. Yatsu quivered just a little at Fox’s deliberate touches. “You don’t give a shit that I’m blind and you don’t flinch when you touch my scars.” Fox’s hands continued drifting, grazing over biceps felt all-too-infrequently.

“And you’re gay and too damn polite to make the first move. So let’s just skip the awkward courtship bullshit and get to the fun part.”

Yatsuhashi smiled. Fox had never been one to mince words. “And what makes you think I’m interested?” he asked, managing to keep his voice its usual neutral tone.

Fox kissed him again, and _this_ time Yatsu had enough presence of mind to kiss back. Fox had a long scar over his lips, a vertical slash that had caught Yatsuhashi’s eye every day since Initiation. Looking at it was one thing, _feeling_ it on his lips was quite another -

“ _That_ ,” answered Fox, as he pulled himself off his partner, the latter’s breaths still coming hot and heavy. “Also, your heart is beating about two hundred times a minute.”

Yatsuhashi blinked. “You can’t hear my heartbeat,” he replied, though he couldn’t keep the uncertainty from creeping into his voice.

“No,” Fox conceded, with a tilt of his head. And a sly grin. “But I can feel your pulse,” he supplied. Yatsuhashi only belatedly realized that Fox’s fingers were wrapped around his wrist.

They kissed again, and it was a damn long time before either pulled away... 

* * *

“Ahh, young love,” mused Coco, stealing another sideways glance. She _really_ should let them have their privacy, she knew, but it was just _too damn cute_.

Not that she’d ever admit that, of course. “You remember what that was like, Velvs?”

Velvet splashed her. “ _Arshehole_.” She crossed the distance to her girlfriend with a few graceful kicks. “Took them long enough,” she muttered, even as she wrapped her arms around Coco, fighting her partner’s more voyeuristic impulses.

“Playing matchmaker, were we, Velvs?” Coco teased, before Velvet’s lips silenced her again.

“ _Hardly_ ,” Velvet answered, breaking the seal. “But Yatsu’s had a crush since day one. He’s bloody lucky Fox is less inhibited than he is.” She loosened her grip on Coco. “Good for Fox, too. Getting the courage to follow his heart.”

“My little romantic,” needled Coco, a flurry of playful kisses appended to her words. Velvet smiled despite the tease, basking in the kisses until the two gradually drifted apart, bobbing pleasurably in the pool. “He’s got _you_ to thank, in any event.”

Velvet shot her a quizzical look. “How do you mean?”

“Some people are born being able to follow their hearts, Velvs,” offered Coco, drifting closer in the pool. “Some of us just think we can. And some need to be taught how.”

“Still don’t see where you’re going with this,” muttered Velvet.

“The best lessons are taught...” Coco slipped a slender finger beneath Velvet’s chin, tilting it upwards “...by example.”

**Author's Note:**

> Feedbacks and comments are my treasure and my fuel! Plot, characterization, drama, my tip-toeing towards proper yaoi...
> 
> So this is my MonCon entry to the [monthly competition](https://www.reddit.com/r/RWBY/comments/50zxiq/) on r/rwby, writing in response to the prompt _CFVY + Learning_. If you enjoyed it, please consider voting for it when the polls open in a couple of days. Unless there's an entry even more last-minute than my own, the competition consists of _[A Fresh Cup of Coffee](http://archiveofourown.org/works/8085250/chapters/18527503)_ by CFVY maven [lydia_rogue](http://archiveofourown.org/users/lydia_rogue/pseuds/lydia_rogue/works) (A fic I _strongly_ encourage you to check it out). [A certain drabble of hers](http://lydiarogue.tumblr.com/post/145043506668/velvet-smoothed-out-the-non-existent-wrinkles-in) also inspired this.
> 
> Special thanks to [St. Vincent](https://archiveofourown.org/users/StVincent/pseuds/StVincent/works?fandom_id=767851) for proofreading and offering much-needed feedback. That said, any mistakes remain entirely my own, as there's only so much mess one editor can be asked to clean up. Also thanks for trying to steer me towards a less click-bait-y title, but I am unfortunately not so principled.
> 
> Random notes: Long-time readers may note that I like having Velvet say " _lech_ " and " _arsehole_ ", because for some reason they sound so good in Aussie. Temperatures are listed in Kelvin because Reasons. +100 Internet points to anyone who spots the _RWBY_ song lyrics. -100 Internet points to anyone who calls out that I just borrowed a ton of stuff from Weiss' relationship with Papa Schnee.


End file.
